Behind the Scenes of Stitching a Legacy
American Needlework
Projects and Stories
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This book is no longer available at Interweave Press. See used book stores, eBay, libraries, and other sources for a copy.
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In an unprecedented cooperative venture,
PieceWork magazine collaborated with the Peabody
Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, the Embroiderers’
Guild of America (EGA), and the American Needlepoint
Guild (ANG) to create this lavishly photographed collection
of twenty-four stunning contemporary projects based
on objects in the museum’s collection. Nationally
known designer Ann Caswell took motifs from the pieces
and translated them into fashion and home accessories
and heirloom keepsakes. Also included in the book
are intriguing and poignant stories documenting the
objects and/or their makers, along with photographs
of the original pieces.
In June 2000, Interweave Press
received a call from the Peabody Essex Museum inquiring
whether PieceWork might be interested in collaborating
on a major exhibition of needlework from the museum’s
collection. The exhibition, Painted with Thread:
The Art of American Embroidery was scheduled to
run from April through September, 2001. Two weeks
later two members of the editorial team were in Salem
to meet with the museum's staff and concluded that
there were indeed opportunities for collaboration:
PieceWork would sponsor the actual exhibition
and Interweave Press would publish Stitching a
Legacy.
In July, another trip was made to the
museum to select the objects that would serve as inspiration
for the projects to be featured in the book. The depth
and breadth of the museum's needlework collection made
the task both exciting and daunting—but choices were
made. Now, all that remained was to get projects designed,
stitched, photographed; get instructions written; and
get the book to the printer by mid-February. All of the
above was accomplished and the book went to the printer
on time.
The book would not have been possible
without the help of many people, especially the members
of ANG and EGA who volunteered to stitch the projects
and who produced beautiful work under an almost-impossible
deadline. The names of the individual stitchers are listed
below. For more information on either organization or
the museum, visit the following websites:
The
Embroider's Guild of America
American
Needlepoint Guild
Peabody
Essex Museum
The Stitchers
American Needlepoint Guild: Penny Boswinkle, Dunwoody,
Georgia; LaMona Brown, Washington, Missouri; Mary K. Campbell,
Omaha, Nebraska; Vicki Coleman, Houston, Texas; Pamela
Harding, North Bend, Washington; Lee McLeron, Spokane,
Washington; Donna Neilson, Honolulu, Hawaii; Neva Pruess,
Lincoln, Nebraska; John Savage, Atlanta, Georgia; and
Barbara Smith, Chesterfield, Missouri. Embroiderers' Guild
of America: Kay Griffith, Defiance, Ohio; Carol Higginbotham,
Alhambra, California; Anne Holly, San Francisco, California;
Judy Jeroy, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Jeanette Lovensheimer,
Florence, South Carolina; Lynda Patterson, San Francisco,
California; Angeline Shuh, Davenport, Iowa; Diana Snyder,
South Burlington, Vermont; Carolyn Webb, Salt Lake City,
Utah; and Kathy Weigl, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
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